Record - 32-37-13 (77 points), 6th in the Pacific Division
Goals For: 214 (30th in the NHL), Goals Against: 264 (21st in the NHL)
Leading Goal Scorer - Timo Meier (35)
Leading Point Scorer - Timo Meier (76)
Finishing just above the Ducks last year in the Pacific Division was the San Jose Sharks. Now three years removed from their conference finals run in 2019, the Sharks find themselves in the midst of a rebuild with a new General Manager as well as a new Head Coach at the helm. A fresh start for the organization.
They're coming off a year where they, like the Ducks, were fairly in the mix at the halfway point of the season. Also like their inter-state rival, they struggled mightily in the latter half of the year winning just 11 games after January 20th. They weren't getting killed by teams by any means (aside from a few exceptions). They played in ton of close games. Over a quarter of their games required overtime or a shootout, 23 to be exact. Sometimes it went their way, other times it didn't. The team's inability to possess the puck and score efficiently is what prevented them from coming out on top in those close games. They were, however, a fairly decent team defensive led by an array of veteran blueliners that helped keep them in it on a nightly basis. They had an outstanding penalty kill, finishing with the second highest percentage in the NHL behind the Hurricanes. They were a better team record wise than what their roster showed on paper.
As far as the individual players go, the Sharks were carried offensively by forwards Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl. Both guys notched their second 30 goal season of their careers, with Meier eclipsing his previous career highs in goals and points. Hertl, still only 28, signed an eight year extension back in March of 2022. Meier, just 25, is in the final year of his previous extension and is yet to discuss contract negotiations with GM Mike Grier. It's a long way until next summer, so if Meier wanted to stay in San Jose I'm sure they'll work something out. Beyond Hertl and Meier, there weren't too many other standouts. Captain Logan Couture did what he normally does by putting together yet another 20 goal season playing his sound two-way style of hockey. Brent Burns had another 10 goal, 50 point campaign from the backend still running things at age 37. But that's really it. Their next highest point scorer was Alexander Barabonov with 39. Though it was his best season since coming over from the KHL, you need more offense than that from someone playing 17 minutes a night.
In his first off-season as GM, Mike Grier didn't really do a whole lot. During the draft he traded their 11th overall pick to the Coyotes in exchange for three picks of their own. While I really like the kid the Yotes got at 11 in Conor Geekie, it's never a bad thing to stock up on draft picks. the following week, Grier decided that it was time to move on from Brent Burns, which I'm sure was a difficult decision. He shipped him off to Carolina in exchange for forward Steven Lorentz, goalie Eetu Makiniemi, and a third round pick. Burns was a staple for the Sharks during his tenure in San Jose, but given his age, he doesn't have many good years left in the tank. If I'm in Grier's shoes, I'm doing the exact same thing. They got a solid depth winger, and a very promising goalie prospect for an aging defenseman with a massive cap hit. That's a win in my book.
In free agency, the Sharks remained relatively quiet. They signed forwards Nico Sturm and Oskar Lindblom to multi-year deals, along with defenseman Markus Nutivaara and Matt Benning. The Sharks are also bringing back goaltender Aaron Dell on a year deal to potentially help answer some of the questions they have in net.
The biggest change for the team this offseason was the hiring of their new head coach David Quinn. He is getting his second crack at coaching at the NHL Level a full year removed after he was let go by the Rangers where he went 96-87-25 in his three years behind the bench. I'll be the first to admit that I was not the biggest Quinn fan by the time the Rangers relieved him of his duties. I didn't think the team had an identity or any structure for that matter, nor did I believe he was properly developing the younger players with the roles he gave them. I believed that the Rangers had enough talent to be a better team record wise than that we produced under DQ. On a positive note, however, the Rangers competed very hard under their former HC, and I feel as though their "No Quit in NY" mantra stems off of the coaching philosophy that Quinn instituted during his time there. He's a true hockey guy, and players love him. He's like Torts where he's brutally honest and holds every player accountable. He's just not as crazy as Torts. For what this team requires now, I think DQ is a solid choice and can do a good job well. He's aware of what worked and what didn't during his time in NY, and will look to apply those learnings in this next chapter in San Jose.
Looking at the current standing of this Shark's team, I think they need a clear sense of direction from their from office. They have plenty of reliable veterans on their roster, but not a ton of cap space. An precarious situation for a team in the middle of a rebuild to be in. At some point, depending on how the season goes, Grier will have to sit down with players like Erik Karlsson, Marc-Eduorad Vlasic, Logan Couture, and Nick Bonino to see where they stand on staying with the team during some tough times. They'll likely have to move one or two of them at the deadline to free up some cap space, it'll just be a matter of who.
Luckily for the Sharks, they do have a couple of up and coming prospects that I can see making some noise this year for them. The first of whom is their first round pick from last year's draft, William Eklund from Sweden. He's not the biggest player, but he plays with a ferocity in all areas of the ice never taking a shift off. This is someone I think David Quinn will like very much who will play a larger role for the team than he did during the few games he appeared in last season. The other prospect is the next player the Sharks selected in the 2021 draft, Thomas Bordeleau. Having coached him on Team USA in the IIHF World Championships, David Quinn is plenty familiar with this player. Also appearing in a handful of games last season, Bordeleau is a dynamic playmaker that will look to continue to excel his game and earn a consistent role with the team.
I do think the Sharks take a step back in the standings this season. Even though the division is pretty open, they didn't really do much to improve their team for the immediate future. They'll compete. They'll win a bunch of games, but it'll be a few years before the Shark Tank is a place that opposing teams dread again.
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